the staycation: day four

we did it! we actually went to jerusalem yesterday, and visited the western wall. the train ride there was pleasant - we spent most of it playing "i spy" - but the bus ride from the train station to the old city was tragically long and smelly. some religious nutters left their toddler on the bus, didn't even bat an eyelid when the shocked bus driver managed to find them.

the wall experience itself was powerful for all of us.

after the wall, we walked through the shuk, meeting an ex-south african along the way. then hunted down food, eventually finding ourselves eating build-your-own falafel in a rather grimy spot, staffed by another ex-south african. we walked back through another part of the shuk, at which point i developed crowd and shuk fatigue, and stopped by the wall to use the bathrooms before heading back.

while mr smear and i were using the bathrooms, gd was accosted by a teenage girl about covering up her tattoos. when i got back to her and found out, i was furious. it's such an ugly thing to do to anyone, least of all an israeli jew who practices judaism far more authentically than these societal parasites ever will. we talked about what we could have and should have said. then we headed to the bus.

we stood waiting next to someone who turned out to be another ex-south african, another recent escapee.

and then we saw that girl. and confronted her. not only was her ugly smirk accompanied by ugly, bully-like responses, but her friend was defending her by telling us about the "laws" they're protecting. i was becoming frustrated by their bullshit when gd pointed at her smile and talked about "this ugly thing", at which point they fled to the other side of the waiting crowd and i think i saw her friend consoling her.

human pieces of garbage.

anyway, the bus back was less long, but pretty awful. that's due the people on it, the writhing mass of overdressed humanity with more babies than they can care for and public displays of domestic violence (one woman kept slapping the back of her kid's head whenever he made a noise, not sure if he's autistic or those are just symptoms of abuse). the bus ride itself was a rollercoaster, as our driver didn't appear to believe in speed bumps as he sped through the windy hills.

getting off the bus and through the crowds and into the train station was a corrective experience. the train back was a relief. gd, like me, was very grateful to return to our little bubble of civilization.

two joggers ran past us, one speaking to the other in a heavy saffer accent.

...

we were all exhausted after such a long day. after a ramen cup dinner i chatted with my mom, gd got mr smear ready for bed (he was pretty much asleep by the time i said good night), i chatted with vfmp for a bit and then crashed.

...

for me, yesterday morning before we left was a long string of frustrating events, mostly related to needing to update the side project i've been neglecting. maybe i'll make some progress today before we meet with our cousin. or maybe i'll read a book, play games and do not much of value. that could be good, too.